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Michael DeAngelo, age 33 of Lindenhurst, pleaded guilty to charges including aggravated vehicular manslaughter on Wednesday, May 1, the Nassau County District Attorney announced.
Original Story - Quadruple Homicide: Man Indicted For Fatal Massapequa Crash
On the evening of August 6, 2023, 60-year-old Marine veteran Patrice Huntley was sitting at a stoplight on Sunrise Highway at Unqua Road in East Massapequa with five other family members in his car.
It was approximately 7:15 p.m. and Huntley was celebrating a recent job offer by taking his family out for ice cream when the crash happened.
DeAngelo — under the influence of fentanyl and cocaine — came barreling down Sunrise Highway in his 2023 Hyundai Kona going around 120 miles an hour. He drove directly into multiple vehicles.
Huntley’s SUV was hit so hard that the car was pushed through the intersection and spun around to face oncoming traffic.
Huntley, his 10-year-old son Jeremiah, and his 13-year-old daughter Hannah were all pronounced dead that night.
Huntley’s 18-year-old stepdaughter and his 6-year-old step-grandaughter Chantel Solomon suffered catastrophic injuries, while his 14-year-old son was also injured in the crash.
On August 12, Chantel Solomon succumbed to her injuries.
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DeAngelo’s car flew in the air and landed upside down following the crash. According to the DA’s Office, he braked less than half a second before impact and hit the Huntleys at nearly 95 miles an hour.
Additionally, authorities found needles and a pipe near and in his car at the scene, and DeAngelo had track marks on his arm and hands that alluded to his drug use. He was arrested
“Michael DeAngelo is one of the most staggeringly reckless defendants I have ever known,” said DA Anne T. Donnelly.
She went on to say that a few days before the crash, he had been arrested for alleged drug possession, then “ran from authorities after being administered Narcan for an apparent overdose.”
“No sentence will ever be enough to ease the pain of this heartbroken family, their friends, and their community,” Donnelly said.
“How many more hearts must break before people learn that drugged driving destroys lives?”
DeAngelo, who has two prior convictions for driving under the influence, pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Aggravated vehicular homicide;
- Second-degree manslaughter, four counts;
- Aggravated vehicular assault;
- Assault, second- and third-degree; and
- Driving while ability impaired by by the combined influence of drugs as a felony.
He is due back for sentencing on Friday, June 28, where he is expected to receive a sentence of seven to 21 years in prison.
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